So Very Warm
by Religion0
Summary: If contact through clothing made for this much warmth, he vaguely wondered, then how warm must her skin be? /Rated safely/a collection of -shots and drabbles centering on warmth/
1. Chapter 1

**All right! I'm really confused about the lack of this pairing, it's so obvious it's not even funny! I mean, come on!**

**And how come _no one_ has used this scene? Is it too obvious for anyone but me to use? That better not be the case... (cough)**

**No matter, I cannot claim ownership of this or any other anime.**

In truth, it probably started already before she even touched him. It probably started already the moment she told him he said it wrong. The flow of warm power flowing into him... An intoxicating feeling, small though it was, it exuded a heady power... The strength of B-Rabbit.

Of Alice... (As he had already learned.)

Then her hand cradled the back of his head and her lips pressed against his, not gently. Not even insistently. More like... warming. Who would ever have thought that the young woman who could be so destructive, who could turn into an internationally feared Chain, who had quite a temper, could feel so warm, so intoxicating. So sweet, so giving, and so very undemanding.

Then it ended.

Not the contact, the flow of power. The power still within him now, no more entered his body. Her lips were still on his, though, never ending that gentle pressure. That gentle pressure which spread a foreign warmth.

Somehow, it felt too comfortable to be foreign. It ought to have been familiar.

_"Strange..." _the boy barely thought as his eyes slid shut._ "Even without the strength... it's still such an amazing experience... No wonder falling in love is so popular."_

Then she pulled away, almost causing pain. But only almost, it felt more like anticipation. A knowledge that more would come... Eventually. It would almost be worth waiting through eternity to feel that warmth again.

__________

Alice sat up in bed, placing a hand lightly on her brow. What was this feeling? This feeling of... something slipping through her hands? No... That wasn't it...

It felt more like something should have been there, but was simply absent. Yes, like a hole where her stomach was supposed to be...

Pursing her lips, the Chain wondered why her manservant's face sprang to mind...

It was probably all his fault. He had to get a beating for it.

**Sorry, I couldn't stop myself from adding that last sentence. Or the entire last paragraph for that matter! **

**If you'd like me to write more for this pairing (or for almost any other, for that matter), please leave me a short review stating so... And it would be an awful help if you'd tell me honestly what you liked/disliked. ^^; I really need the criticism.**


	2. Chapter 2

**After a surprisingly early and surprisingly _positive_ feedback (_), I here come with more Oz x Alice. And I do not own either... Though that'd be awesome!**

Oz sat leaning against the wall just any random day... Just any random day they weren't fighting Chains, just any random day when it was lightly raining, just any random day everyone enjoyed the break and possibility of simply resting indoors.  
Just any random day when Oz suddenly realized just how familiar he actually was with Alice's body. Not just because he actually had seen her quite a bit too lightly clad (not that his hormones minded, they were actually doing a happy jig at the memory), but because he had carried her, embraced her, and watched her numerous times... He had actually lost count of the amount of time she had been held to his chest or had clasped her arms around his back or neck (although the future Duke did know she had stepped on him many more times...).

The real reminder of these happy times would be the fact that Alice currently leant against her manservant (as was becoming a very sticking nickname), heavily asleep.

And for not the first time, Oz was amazed at the warmth. Of course there was the body heat, but even so Oz knew for a fact that Sharon's skin was significantly cooler to the touch. Then there was the fact that quite an attractive young woman currently leaning against him, dead asleep. But no, it couldn't be that either, as he had been quite capable of overlooking that fact many times, but had still noticed the warmth.

Perhaps Alice just was a very warm person to the touch? Well, he had compared her to the sun before... So why shouldn't she be as warm as she was radiant? And as beautiful...

No! Stupid thoughts! ... Although she was very pretty, and there was no denying that not being attracted to her would be nigh impossible. It was actually quite the mystery that the Chain wasn't constantly overrun by hormone driven teenage boys... Then again, they'd be dead within seconds. Which, disturbingly enough, was a comfortable picture...

Alice shifted, bringing her arms around Oz's waist and wriggled under his arm, heating the poor boy even further! And again that thing with the warmth...

There had to be a particular reason why... Especially since she was pretty exposed. Just because would be a bad excuse, not a good reason. As it was, the best reason would be that the warmth was actually just Oz's body doing strange things.

Which was very believable, since Alice had just managed to push Oz into lying fully on to the floor, using his chest as a pillow. Again Oz wondered why they were sitting on the floor to begin with, when there was a perfectly unoccupied couch in the same room, less than three good steps away.

Well, getting a chance to be with Alice when she wasn't beating him up or insulting him was always nice... And no one could object to getting a hug. Although the circumstances were less than ideal, it was actually pretty comfortable... And quite relaxing...

Soon, the boy had drifted into sleep himself, snuggling closer to the Chain, with a slight smile in place. Until they were both woken up by a hysterical Sharon, who managed to scare the two into continuously hiding behind the other.

Yes, just any random day for this silly group of friends.

**Okay, first of, I'd like to apologize. For what? For all the little mistakes I'm sure to have made; OOC'ness, typos, etc., you're more than invited to point any of those out. In my defence, it's just past ten o'clock pm here!**

**Secondly, I'd like to thank any who reviewed the first and encouraged me to write this; you know who you are. ~_^ At least, I hope so!**

**And lastly, I'd like to thank any future reviewers of this one, and I'd like you to know, I probably will be very embarrassed about this when I'm properly awake.**

**Please, be so kind as to review and tell me what you liked/disliked. Or is it the other way around?**


	3. Chapter 3

**I can't help it! This couple is simply too adorable! ^_^ You're very grateful for that, aren't you? All right, back to the couple (whose universe I do not own).**

Her fingers barely supported his chin, yet warmth seemed to flow from them and fill his entire being. And that while she was wearing gloves. If contact through clothing made for this much warmth, he vaguely wondered, then how warm must her skin be?

Not that it'd be hard to find out, considering the amount of bare skin... But her eyes were simply too captivating. If he hadn't been so busy gaping, if only slightly, at the relaxed blue-purple eyes which seemed to smile, Oz might have tried touching her... He had noticed, that even Alice's smile was warm. Or that it, at least, warmed him to the core.

He had less than a few seconds to focus on everything; the way her eyes shimmered slightly, even with only the slight light of the abyss to shimmer with; the way her lips curved into a gentle smile; the way her hair fell, covering her face without truly covering it; the way her left hand played with the two roses she held, shifting them slightly; the way that, when kneeling on the table as she was, her knees weren't far from his stomach; and the way her right hand warmed him, making him relax slightly into her touch.

So very warm...

**Okay, so this was the shortest (and, in my opinion, the worst) chapter of these three. And, as you can see, episode three makes for a whole lot of material. Honestly, it's more like I'm completely stuck on ways to keep these good when they have to use the same theme. -_-; I've used all the material! **

**So the next few chapters will be from Alice's point of view. Alice thinking of Oz as "warm"? I'm so looking forward to doing that! =D **

**Anyway, please review and tell me what you liked/disliked.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Back again, you missed me? **

Being around Oz is... Warm, I suppose would be the best word. It's definitely not cold the way the Abyss is. It's a strangely familiar warmth, as if I should know it. I don't however, it wouldn't be this intoxicating if I did.I know the warmth is coming from that strange human boy, who can munch on cookies moments after being scared half to death. I suppose you could say I was immediately attracted to him, something about him looked rather familiar too, although I can't pinpoint what.

How do I know the warmth was coming from him? I'm sure... I'm sure because I felt different the moment I exited the abyss and placed my boot on his back. It felt so much better than I'd ever felt before. I knew I had to protect him, and the best way would probably be to claim him as _my_ property. He should be mine, I knew him, after all. The Abyss is my territory, although I want to leave it behind to those damn low-life chains.

I really just want to feel warm like this for as long as I can... Hopefully, Oz would manage to get out should I die. He is my property, after all, no other Chain can have him... And he is my source of warmth, I don't want any harm to come to him.

I turn around in the Trump's grip, painful though it is, and smile slightly at that foolish human boy. "At the very least, you have to get out off here," I tell him, confident he hears me over that annoying Trump's roaring. "Oz." The first time I actually say his name... it's comfortable.

Then there's only cold and darkness around me once more. It's painful, I want to get out off here! I want to go back near Oz so he can make me feel warm again... I wish I could move, so I can at least struggle against the Trump's insides. But it's too cold.

I hear something. Something that makes me feel warm inside, if only slightly. Something that makes me almost hope! But I'm still too cold to move, still to pained to do much more than breathe... "Alice! I'll sign a contract with you!" Oz!

It felt like I had just won a thousand battles at once!

**Okay, so the beginning was pretty cute, but the ending was just odd... It was actually easier doing Alice than I thought it would be! And again, episode three... That freaking episode just has so much potential!**

**Perhaps I should just do a random un-shown point in time... Or do an AU chapter... But first, I have at least one more chapter I can squeeze from episode three! ^_^ Oh! If you have anything like a request or and idea you'd like to share with me, please do. And please take a look at the poll on my profile, even if you don't have an opinion. **

**Lastly, please review and tell me what you liked/disliked, it'll really help me a lot. ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is so badly in need of an update. =| It's been two years! Although, in my defence, I am mostly a watcher of anime, not a reader of manga, and the end of the anime rather upset me. =(**

**Enjoy! =D**

His upbringing had been cold, despite the best efforts of his uncle Oscar, his sister, and Gil. They knew this, but everyone always pretended it wasn't so, pretended they didn't know about the large lump of ice in the depth of Oz's heart and soul left there by his father. But they all knew, even little Ada could sense it, although no one ever told her and Oz always made so much more of an effort to hide it from her.

Not that he hadn't been happy, not that he hadn't felt loved and love, but the only real constant in his life had always been the bleak coldness buried deep within, only brought to the surface in his truly worst moments.

Then he'd seen Alice, standing tall and proud on a table in front of him, looking as self-confident as one who has just managed to conquer the world and then had a hearty breakfast.

She could manage that in the despairingly cold, lonely and brutal world of the Abyss, she who was bluntly honest and never managed to hide a thought. Even he had figured that out, and he'd only just met her at the time! He had been proven quite correct in his assessment, although he never really bothered to question it.

He had started to warm from that very moment.

Alice would always carry the dark loneliness of the Abyss and he would forever carry the cold contempt from his father, but they could help each other, warm each other.

And never more be cold.

**Say whoop-whoop for a short comeback! =D**

**Please review and tell me what you liked/disliked. =)**


	6. Chapter 6

**And you get more already! =D I didn't realize, because of FMA, but I've really missed this pairing and this Anime…**

He wasn't quite sure how he'd missed it, what with having kissed her and spent so much time with her, but when Alice laid sprawled across his chest - hit by a sudden, and somewhat awkward, sleep spell - Oz noticed suddenly how everything about Alice seemed to be either warm or scalding hot. Even her hair, warmed by sunlight streaming through the window, and her scent.

She smelled like sunlight on an uncommonly hot spring day. Of fresh grass warmed by light, of a light and playful breeze dancing among new leaves, of flowers newly risen from their dormant state within the damp earth, and of a ridiculously blue sky that stretched into eternity. But above everything else, she smelled like a very much alive young woman, as if completely unaware she wasn't supposed to be alive, or human, at that.

Her scent made him grin like a maniacal mother. Driven to wildness and tenderness at the same time.

He hadn't really consciously noticed before, but when he thought about it, he could easily remember many times when her scent must have tickled at his nose, if only for recognition of the emotion it inspired. Alice shifted slightly against him, rubbing her face softly against his chest and bringing her hands up to clutch at the cloth on his sides, making a small, sleepy noise.

Oz chuckled, looking up as the door creaked open, allowing Sharon to enter. She looked somewhat confusedly around the room, wondering why her adorable-romantic-scene sense had called her to this, apparently deserted, room. She made her way to the couch and looked over it, to find Oz sprawled on the floor, one of the cushions from the couch pillowing his head, grinning softly - if a slight bit too widely - at a dead asleep Alice. The young Contractor raised his head to meet her eyes, still smiling. He raised a hand, with some difficulty, and pressed a finger to his vaguely puckered lips.

Sharon made a very small squealing sound, her eyes glistening with stars, as she nodded and very carefully left the room.

Oz looked back to Alice just in time to see a childishly gleeful smile cross the Chain's face, as she made some drowsy gurgling sounds. She was utterly adorable.

**Yay for longer comeback with Sharon! =D I may or may not include The Will in a chapter, although more as a concept than an actuality.**

**Please review and tell me what you liked/disliked! ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Enjoy! ^_^ This is a direct follow-up to the last chapter. =)**

His chest was warm. Alice rearranged herself a little, frowning in her dozing-induced daze. Using Oz as a madras rather made the need for a blanket a moot point. The shared body heat and her high temperature resistance quite sufficed. And Oz had her for a blanket, so he didn't need one of cloth. One of her eyes opened, almost of its own accord, but didn't bother focusing, so all she saw was an odd blur of colour. Quite possibly the couch she had missed going down. Her eye closed again as she attempted to snuggle further into Oz's chest.

When a chuckle made her bedding shake, she pouted and slapped him in the side, where she was gripping his shirt. It was the lightest beating she had ever given him, but she couldn't really find it in herself to care. Besides, she was hungry. You couldn't properly fight on an empty stomach.

"Are you starting to wake up?" Oz asked, very softly in case she wasn't.  
"Grrnumphol!" was her answer. It was damn difficult to talk with cloth in your face, so she craned her neck so she could look at him rather than bury her nose in his shirt. She blinked blearily at the sudden light, dwindling though it was, that set his golden hair aglow, made his eyes shimmer, and made his teeth seem too white. It was really hard to focus with all that light. "How long have you been lying there?"

"Ever since you fell asleep on top of me. I had planned on moving you to the couch, but you looked so comfy, that I didn't have the heart to do it." He didn't mention she had also looked utterly adorable, smelled absolutely intoxicating, and honestly been a bit too heavy for him to do that without risk of waking her.

Alice blinked and scrounged her nose. "That was good, as my manservant you should always have my comfort as highest priority." Oz chuckled, again. "What's so funny? You keep laughing." Alice pouted, glaring distrustfully into his eyes. "Ah," Oz said, suddenly at a loss for an answer he cast about for one desperately, his eyes following. "Well, uhm, your hair is tickling me?"

"You're ticklish?"

"Yes," Oz admitted, clearly happy to tell something true. Her hair didn't tickle him, but he was ticklish, so it could have been a real state of affairs. If he hadn't been wearing a shirt, that is… But the scenario _that_ thought led to was rather disturbing. "Are you hungry, Alice? Should we get something to eat?"

Alice blinked, then lit up in a huge grin and buried her face into his warm heartbeat once more and tightened her arms around him before jumping to her feet, pulling her manservant up with her. "Yes! Let's go!" she declared loudly, heading down the hallway at a sprint, deliriously happy without a real reason. Except, of course, for the fact that she felt warm from head to toe and her every nerve end was humming in contentment and that she didn't feel alone _at all_!

Headily, she laughed and set up her pace, still holding on to Oz's wrist as she dragged him after her. He was trying to keep up as best he could, but it was awfully hard to properly breathe and run when you were grinning like a maniacal mother.

**'Maniacal mother' and 'ridiculously blue' are my new favourites descriptions. ^_^ Seriously, they amuse me to no end!**

**Please review and tell me was you liked/disliked. =D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Dah-dah-dah-de-dah! =D I have nothing to say. Except for the fact that writing is suckish, because making a rough draft takes as long as producing the finished product anyway, so you can't do that if it's the middle of the night and you want to go to bed. =|**

The moon shone down on all the land, creating shadows inn the forest for predator and prey both, giving the feel that something malevolent (perhaps a ghost?) lived there, laughing at all the foolish mortals and watching them, waiting to see of whom it should make a prey. The white moon cast its light on towns and cities, giving the few roamers light to find home by and causing a few of the stragglers to look up, as if expecting someone to speak with them. And, finally, the cold light fell on one brunette standing upon a balcony of one of the truly old mansions. The girl seemed quite unreal in the bluish light, her pale skin almost translucent (making her look like a statue of alabaster if she would only stand still), her long, dark hair both shimmering and seeming all the darker for the whiteness of her, the white shirt (all too big for her slight frame) seemed as if one with her skin, as if it might as well be the same material, her mauve eyes seemed almost invisible, despite being turned towards the sky, as if swallowed by the light and the dark both, one of her pale hands, seeming quite delicate without their usual gloves, was suspended between the balcony rail and her face, the other resting still on the railing, her lips pursed as if in thought. Then the quiet broke.

"Alice?" a sleep-drunken voice asked from the doorway. "What are you doing up and out this late?"

The girl spun, wide-eyed as if surprised both at the interruption and at what she had been doing. She stood like that for a few seconds, eyes wide, leaning against the balcony and watching the young man perplexedly. "I… Star gazing…" she then stammered, sounding as if she was confused at finding out what she had done. Her mind seemed to clear suddenly, and she frowned. "And what about you, Oz? Didn't you go to sleep?"

The young man grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, yes, but then midnight came and there hadn't been any demand for snuggle yet, so… I wanted to make sure you were fine." In the weak light of the moon, he looked more mature than he ever could in daylight, even with such a sheepish grin.

"I'm all right, I just got side-tracked…" Alice looked back up at the sky. "It's weird…"

Oz, waking up a bit at the chill night air and the conversation both, tried to look for what she saw, crossing to stand beside her. "What is?"

"How different yet eerily similar moonlight is to sunlight…" she shuddered. "It's bright all right, but it's cold and blue, not hot and yellow, and it's sort of secretive and almost seems like it's trying to hide something… But at the same time it reveals so much! These empty surfaces," she gestured to the balcony. "All seem all the easier to see."

"And you've been up half the night to think about this?" Oz asked, dazed, rubbing his stomach through his shirt. "Whoa…"

"You're still asleep, aren't you?" she asked with a pout and a glare. At his weak attempt to deny it, interrupted by a yawn, she snorted. "Whatever, just go back to bed. I'll go to sleep when I see fit."

Oz smiled sheepishly again. "Please do. The bed is oddly cold without you." Then, acting on impulse, he pulled her into a hug and buried his nose in her hair. Her scent enveloped his senses like a blanket of warm memories even as her, almost surreal, body heat made sensation rush back to his extremities to cause an oddly delightful tingling. For a moment, heat started to swirl in his gut, but just as that began, he let go of the girl.

The moment he was through the door an out of hearing, Alice looked back to the sky. "You are to the sun what she is to me, right?" she whispered to the moon. "Or is it the other way around…?" Feeling a disconcerted chill run down her spine, she suddenly turned and ran towards Oz's room, sliding under the covers in a smooth jump. Quickly, she wriggled her way into the young man's arms, soon finding herself held close to him and herself clinging to the comfort, heat, and company he represented. And she smiled.

**Oz and Alice are _SLEEPING _together, not "sleeping" together. Big difference. Also, if Alice is the sun, then what is the will, huh? Think on it. And Marduk it's late now! O_o**

**And then, do me a real big favour and leave a review, preferably telling of what you liked and or disliked. ^_^ Much appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm… Reading the manga? =3 Maybe… No, I am. It works better than I thought. I've always known the story was great, but I thought that the medium wouldn't work as well as it does… I still maintain that anime works better for this story, but… Above was a warning, by the way, I will likely be referring to things that happens only in the manga.**

**Anyway… Missed me? ^_^**

Alice was the oddest person Oz had ever met or heard off. She was insanely complex and unbelievably simple at the same time.

Everything she did was for the obvious reasons, she wanted to, she liked to do it, there was no better alternative, once in a while for pure entertainment value (such as sniffing at Elliot up close)… She never felt regret because the reasons were so simple and straightforward.

But there was never any doubt, that she was not a simple person in the slightest. Understanding and predicting her, or, rather, attempting to do so, could be a fatal mistake.

There was no predicting the kind of reaction she would get from her surroundings, they could be anything from ignorance, to fear, to admiration, to hatred.

The way she would react to something could vary to the extreme from time to time, anything from yelling and kicking to kissing (technically biting…) in an attempt to cheer Oz up (often Oz, no one else deserved that kind of respect).

Her needs were blessedly simple, food and company. Exercise, space to vent, and a place to sleep would be a bonus, but not a requirement to the same degree.

Until she became curious, of course, when she would sniff and taste anything that came into view (you never knew what was edible).

It wasn't that she didn't have any idea of what "personal space" meant, she just chose to ignore it whenever it didn't suit her purposes (which was often).

He was surprised by how easy it had actually been to fall in love. So smoothly and easily, in fact, he hadn't noticed until long after the fact, when the thought of not having Alice in his life, of never having met her, not only didn't make any sense, but repulsed him.

It was almost so hard to believe that he could see her in stages of his life long before he had met her. One of the very few things he knew about love was that if it did anything, it made you go insane.

He never really got around to explain the concept to her, or that he felt the emotion, in part because every time he thought of doing so, mostly because they either were busy or she was asleep. Then again, it wasn't the right time to do so…

**Wheeeeeeee! =D I have no idea. Hope you enjoyed and that my head will stop hurting.**

**Please review and tell me what you liked/disliked. ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm in the mood for PH but... Long story short, I'm writing this.**

Alice was mad. Not that it was particularly hard to tell, really, seeing as how she kicked the wall at irregular intervals and was muttering loudly but incomprehensibly.

No, it really didn't take special training to realize Alice was mad. He wished he knew what had upset her, though, as he had the rather violent urge to fix it for her.

He briefly considered shaking the answer out of her, but that would probably only redirect her anger towards him... As they were getting close to a staircase, he would really rather delay that for as long as he could.

It was just bad luck that Alice chose that particular moment to swivel and glare at him. "And why are you following me, you stupid manservant?" she roared suddenly, shaking with earnest fury.

Oz followed the advice of his animal brain and just froze. Maybe she would ignore him?

No such luck, she started stalking towards him, her teeth bared in a bloodthirsty snarl. He should have started running, it would probably have been the smart thing to do, but his body stubbornly insisted freezing was his best defence. If he had run Alice would have chased him, she would probably have caught him with a flying tackle, they would have tussled for a bit before Oz would have mewled his defeat with a significantly mollified Alice sitting on top of him.

As it was, Alice made an almost careless flick of her wrist that sent him flying (probably just stumbling, but it felt too dramatic for that) into the wall, following that with slamming herself into him, angling him upwards so his feet lifted up off the floor, despite holding him up more by leaning into him, thus catching him between her body and the wall, than by her own strength, there are still few things as intimidating as having somebody heave you off the ground and hold you there.

He wasn't quite certain if he made any sound, but it could have been anything from a huff of air to squealing like a burning pig.

Either way, it didn't have any effect on Alice who simply kept the snarl in place, growling her question again. "Why were you following me?"

Airy thoughts started drifting through his mind, pleasant little thoughts, like how nice her eyes looked this close and how good dinner last night had sounded and how interesting that book he'd started reading yesterday had been and she smelled very nice and did she like the way he smelled as well? He couldn't smell as good as she did, of course, Alice smelled like spring and summer and sunshine and there was just no way he could smell as good (he didn't).

"I want to know what's made you angry," he said, sounding like his mind had suddenly taken a leave from his body.

Alice took a step back, unceremoniously dumping him on the ground. She muttered something and stalked off again, pausing only long enough to kick the wall a bit further down the hall.

It was a few minutes before it seemed to get through to Oz what had happened, but when it did he jumped to his feet and tried to track Alice. It proved quite easy, seeing as how the heel of her boot had made a dent in the wall every time she'd taken out her frustration on it.

It led, by the most convoluted path possible, to his/their room (she owned everything he did and she could get really lonely at night). Granted, she could have gone three more steps down the hall and into her own room, but his intuition told him that wasn't the case. And indeed, looking in revealed a lumpy shape lying on the bed hidden under the covers.

Probably Alice. Or Break trying to freak him the heck out, but the shape looked like Alice. And her boots were leaning against the bed, almost covered by her signature red coat.

He didn't realize he'd fallen so far behind.

He walked over to the foot of the bed and gently pulled the duvet down a bit, then a bit more, and a little bit more... Goodness, the girl was short! Generally it worked to make her seem even cuter (or rather, deceptively cute).

When her head finally emerged he decided enough was enough and went to look at her. She was glaring sullenly into the wall.

"Are you going to punch me again if I ask you what's wrong?"

"No," she mumbled, turning her back to him.

"Okay, then, what's bothering you?"

"None of your business."

Well, he should have seen that coming. "Alice! It is my business. My mistress' well-being is one of my major concerns!"

She huffed, but refused to let go of her anger.

"Wanna cuddle?" It was a ridiculous question, no matter how you looked at it, but it was the only thing he could think of.

Alice grumbled something that could have been anything from 'I'll kill you' to 'Yeah, sure, go ahead'. He sort of hoped it was the latter.

He slipped in behind her, pulling the duvet back over their heads. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulled her closer and buried his nose in her hair. It was going to get hard to breathe in a little while, but until then he was going to enjoy drowning in her scent and the feeling of being in a world where only he and Alice existed.

"Hey, Alice?" he asked drowsily, when he could feel the tension slowly leaving her shoulders.

"What is it?" She sounded more aware than him, but not as angry as before.

"Why did you come here? Why not your own room?"

Alice was quiet for a while, something about the silence spoke embarrassment. Then: "This bed is softer than the one in my room. Besides, it smells better in here."

That first was probably a straight-faced lie, but the other half...

Oz grinned and momentarily tightened his grip. "I'm going to make you tell me what had you so upset at some point, you know. Not now, though."

**I started off with a pissed off Alice and just sort of went from there... So I have no idea what happened here whatsoever. Oh, but, hey, the good news are that I updated and that there is nothing remotely spoiler-esque about it. =D**

**Please review and tell me what you liked/disliked. ^_^**


	11. Chapter 11

**The scene is from the last few pages of Retrace IV (four). **

For a moment, she wondered if she'd accidentally swallowed a cat whole. It felt like something warm and fuzzy had taken up residency in the pit of her stomach and started purring.

It was the first time she remembered seeing the sun, feeling it tenderly caress her skin and a soft wind brushing her hair and bringing the sweet, soft scent of blossoms and the heavy, wet scent of earth to her nose. But she knew the sensations.

She hadn't known what it would feel like to be outside of the Abyss, would everything be new and strange (and edible) or would it feel familiar?

Considering she had no idea she knew what a cat was, the latter seemed the obvious answer. And yet the thought had come quite of its own accord, that she had swallowed a cat and that cats _purred_. How could she have known that?

The sunset was beautiful, all reds and golds and purples, all fire and shadow, all heat and cold. Compared to other sunsets... How did she know? Other sunsets... She could feel that she knew what they were, like she knew how to talk, but she couldn't reach them, couldn't reach the pictures and the feeling of other sunsets...

"I..." she started hesitantly, not quite aware she was talking at all. "I want to find my memories right away." Oz stood right beside her, looking at her with that earnest focus she honestly couldn't remember from somewhere else. "If it can be granted, then working with them is all right."

"... I see," he said after a short pause, a current of determination in his voice catching her attention. "Well, then maybe I'll help in the memory search as well." He had climbed up to stand on the base of the railing, reaching up to take off Raven's hat. "I don't really understand who I am right now, but... If the answer I seek is there..." The hat was fully off, his soft eyes had an edge about them, and his mouth was set in determination. Why could she read that? "Then I want to know."

He turned to look at her, his golden hair turning ruddy in the fire of the sunset, his emerald eyes almost glowing with the reflected light, and for a fleeting moment she could almost recall that face and the personality behind the eyes, and an affection for both that she couldn't quite understand... But as separate beings, not the same and not quite the one standing beside her, glowing in the setting sun like the hero of a fairytale.

"What could be my 'sin' that the Baskerville talked about?" Oz continued, quite unaware of how striking he looked. He smiled at Alice, a smile of friendship and joy, making him glow so warmly that she could almost imagine she could feel it radiating onto her. And all of a sudden she could recognize the warm fuzz in the pit of her stomach for what it was, not a cat purring, but joy.

She was happy. Not from the thrill of battle and victory, that wasn't happiness. This was, this warm, suffusing feeling she couldn't quite express. Oz made her feel so very warm, like a cat was purring in her gut. That was happiness.

And he felt it too. He had swallowed a cat whole, too.

**The parenthesis in the third paragraph was originally "(and frightening)" as it seemed likely that Alice might worry about being frightened, but it just didn't sound "Alice" enough, so I changed it, that way it would match her having swallowed a cat whole. How you could do that without noticing I have no idea. But "warm, fuzzy, and tickling" just seemed to describe a purring cat and coincidentally how I have seen happiness described.**

**And I wanted to write something happy. Things have been so sad in canon lately. And school is getting sickening rather than bothersome. Anyway, please review and tell me what you liked/disliked. =)**


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